This photo is part of a MUCH larger and very eclectic collection of photos and documents that was purchased in Europe several years ago. The acid free sticker on the reverse of this photo was part of the previous owners collection and catalog system.
Up for sale is an extremely rare and even more relevant photo from our past. This simple photo of a man tells a much deeper story. Central Africa was the origin of the slave trade where well over 70% of all enslaved people were ripped from their families, destroying lives, decimating familes, and erasing cultures.
This is a 1930 Original Unmounted Photo Of Native Ubangi Shari from the Kyabe Village Wearing Traditional Clothing and Saucerlip.
As mentioned, this extensive area of central Africa from the Ubangi river to the Sahara has been a heartland of the slave trade during the 17th to 19th centuries. People captured here, usually by neighbouring tribes in warfare or slave raids, are sold to Arab traders to be taken north through the Sahara or to middlemen for the journey down the Ubangi and the Congo to the Atlantic coast.
French government leases large tracts of land to private companies, giving them virtually unlimited power over the people in their charge (a method of exploitation copied from the Congo Free State).
The result is often brutal exploitation, with Africans used as forced labour in the gathering of wild rubber or on newly established cotton plantations. These abuses are vividly revealed to the world by André Gide in two books - Voyage au Congo (Voyage to the Congo, 1927) and Le Retour du Tchad (The Return from Chad, 1928).
It is believed that this photo was taken during Gide’s many trips to the region. 29183
Measurements 7.5 x 8 inches
Condition:
Overall very good condition with some glue residue on the reverse from a previous mount
Please view the photos carefully as they are an important part of the description. Please email if you have any questions or need clarification so you can be satisfied with your purchase. Guaranteed Old & Original